Honda’s WSBK team has released this video previewing this weekend at Monza, and for those that can’t be at the Temple of Speed for the 25th Anniversary of World Superbikes, you can at least check out a part of the exhibition and what the Japanese manufacturer brought for the “SBK 25 Years: the Top Bikes.”

You’ll get a peak at Fred Merkel’s RC30, the RC45, Colin Edward’s VTR1000 and James Toseland’s CBR1000RR and you’ll hear from Ronald ten Kate, Jonathan Rea and Hiroshi Aoyama previewing this fourth round of the championship.

In 2011 Aprilia released new versions of its 50 and 125cc RS4 with Max Biaggi’s 2010 Alitalia livery. Since Alitalia (the company which has cost Italian taxpayers 3 billion euros, is still losing money and the CEO who was a former Piaggio manager, just got the boot) is no longer Aprilia’s World Superbike sponsor, so Aprilia has decided to update the paint job with this year’s livery and probably giving a nod to the fact that the Roman Emperor is currently leading the series after three rounds - by just one point.

This RS4 comes with Pirelli Diablo Rossi II tires, wavy discs, quickshifter and single seat cowl and the 125cc Biaggi SBK Replica costs £4,299, while the RS4 50 SBK Replica is priced at £3,099. Not bad for a teen dream.

After Audi’s purchase of Ducati, it was just a matter of time before someone decided to do one of the usua,l which is faster, car vs motorcycle videos, and it was Germany’s Auto Bild who decided to pit an Audi TT RS against Ducati’s red fury, the 1199 Panigale S.

To find out who wins, you’ll have to check out the video.

Source | autoblog.com via asphaltandrubber.com

This is just one of the pieces left of South African Superbike racer Chris Leeson’s Ducati 1199 Panigale S following his crash at turn 1 at the Kyalami circuit.

Leeson luckily got off with just some bumps and bruises, while his Panigale will be needing a major makeover. You can check out the entire photographic crash sequence here.

Source | ducatinewstoday.com

As everyone knows Ducati is not running the 1199 Panigale in World Superbike’s this year as they are using the World Superstock and several national championships in different countries to be used as a further development basis before its debut in WSBKs in 2013.

Superstock race Ivan Goi won on the Panigale last Sunday during the CIV’s Imola round, but before that Brice Nunnari won the first race of the European Bikes series at Le Mans, France and the EMS team gave the Ducati 1199 Panigale its maiden race victory when they won the first race of Castellano-Manchego championship, while Chris Leeson in the South African Superbike Championships at Zwartkops put it on pole, and Eddi La Marra put the bike on the podium for third place during FIM Superstock 1000 Cup race at Imola

Reigning World Superbike champion Carlos Checa has tested Ducati’s MotoGP machines a couple of times at Jerez, but has never done a lap on the new Superbike and now be getting a chance this June at Mugello, according to Ducati Corse’s Superbike boss Ernesto Marinelli in an interview with the official World Superbike website.

“Checa has not tested it yet. A strange coincidence but it was not planned. We hope to have him make a nice test around June. Every other test we have is very close to races, so it is not particularly nice to test too soon before a race. The Panigale is a different bike and the feel is different too, so we do not want to take Carlos’ concentration from the championship. That is his primary target. His test is scheduled for Mugello after the Misano round, in one of our regular development tests we do every month.”

Talking about the Panigale’s World Superstock debut at Imola earlier this month, Marinelli added, “I think it was a very strange race,” continued Marinelli. “La Marra did very well in the first part, and he was leading by 1.5 seconds before they put out the red flag. Our thoughts were that he was heading for his first win but they stopped it and he had already used all his four sets of tyres. He had to restart with the same tyres he finished the first leg on. They tell me Barrier and Baz each had one tyre that was barely used left (from their allocation), so they used them on the second part. With a five-lap race and no aggregate any more, it was one-shot race after that. Eddi had a few occasions where I think he could have passed Baz but of course he did not want to crash, he wanted to get points in the first race, so he felt it was too much of a risk and he got a third, which is OK. Overall I have to say I was happy.”

You’ve seen the teaser videos, you’ve seen the official photo galleries, you’ve studied the specs and have probably read all the stunning reviews in motorcycle magazines after the press presentation at Yas Marina in Abu Dhabi, but now you have the special treat of seeing Ducati’s new queen of Superbikes, the 1199 Panigale in all her stunning nakedness - that is without her fairings - revealing the complex Superquadro 195hp powerplant inside the aluminium monococque frame.

Today we would like to introduce a special bike that has been created by tyre maker Continental in cooperation with two ‘big names’ of the scene: BMW’s aftermarket specialist Wunderlich (which is also responsable for the Piranha kit) and renowned French designer Nicolas Petit. The model is called Wunderlich S1000 RR “Mad Max” and - as the name unmistakably suggests - is a special rendition of the awesome BMW S1000RR inspired by the classic Mad Max sci-fi movie trilogy of the late 70s-early 80s, starring a very young Mel Gibson.

The German Superbike got stripped of its original front fairing and handlebars and turned into a super aggressive off-roader, as those manacing Continental TKC 80 enduro tyres (120/70 B17 at the front and 180/55 B17 at the rear) clearly emphasize. The model also uses Ohlins suspension, Magura handlebars, Moto-Master discs and an aluminum exhaust system courtesy of Ramus, which got it tested during the last IDM superbike Championship.

The Wunderlich S1000 RR “Mad Max” uses an interesting matt black with golden inserts color scheme that surely adds up to the futuristic look of the model, and is also a perfect match to its undeniably aggressive attitude. Besides, there seems to be quite a few stickers around providing humourous safety warnings as well as usefull indications about its secret weapons. Maybe the time is right for a fourth Mad Max movie.

View the full Wunderlich S1000RR Mad Max photo gallery

via | Petit-Creation e Wunderlich

The new Nikon D800 is one of the most awaited new machines in the world of photography. In order to promote its new product and show off what it is capable of, the Japanese company has decided to put out a five-minute long video entirely shot with its brand new reflex full frame toy, starring a biker/doctor riding its shiny black bike at night in a desert town. Surprisingly enough though, this bike is not a Jap, it is the new and beautiful BMW S 1000 RR.

This promotional video is called “Joy Ride”, and was directed by renowned portrait photographer Sandro Miller. To give credit where is due, we have to say that the quality of the footage is absolutely astounding. It is always a pleasure to watch this kind of high-quality video starring a sportsbike, and if you are wondering how they did all that with the Nikon D800 only, after the jump there’s a short ‘behind the scenes’ clip showing just that. By the way, the man on the bike is TT racer and recently appointed BSB rider Mark Miller. Sit back and enjoy.

World Superbike team, BMW Motorrad Motorsports has released their first official studio images of this season’s 2012 S1000RR team livery.

As you can tell they’ve haven’t changed and kept the usual and classical BMW blue, white and red colours they debuted with back in 2009.

During yesterday’s Aprilia Factory Team presentation and press conference in Milan, five time World Champion Max Biaggi let it slip that 2012 will be an all important season for the Aprilia Superbike team as it will be the penultimate year for the RSV4 Factory, as development on the bike will be halted in 2013 and that it will be replaced at the end of 2013.

What Aprilia has in store for fans has yet to be leaked, but if they want to compete against the stunning 1199 Ducati Panigale, we could see another important step forward in Italian design and performance.

Ducati’s 1199 Panigale officially debuted at the EICMA show in November and was an immediate hit, garnering attention worldwide. Today in Bologna, the first 1199 Panigale rolled off the assembly line which officially started the production of Ducati’s latest, most admired, most desirable innovative motorcycle to date.

The Panigale got the usual Ducati welcome from CEO Gabriele Del Torchio, Claudio Domenicali and plant director Silvano Fini with spumante toasts and the spraying “baptizing” ceremony.

The Panigale is expected to hit showrooms and dealers at the end of March or early April.

Three-time World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss gave F1 star Mark Webber a ride on his two seat Ducati 1109S Superbike around the Queensland Raceways in Australia yesterday.

Webber wrote on his Twitter page, “Some things need doing. Thanks to @TroyBaylisstic. Great day mate.” While Bayliss tweeted back: “@AussieGrit as expected, you were a top pillion and ripped it up solo as well”.

Bayliss just doesn’t give superstars pillion rides, any fan with some cash can book a ride or spend a track day with the Superbike champion with the The Troy Bayliss Experience. .

Photo Source | troybayliss.facebook.com